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Dog boxes and GVW's

We've had our 16-hole dog box since 1999...

My truck has had minor issues along the way, nothing that ended up being major.

structurally, my truck is in super shape. My ball joints looks great and I've never had to replace a universal joint, as others have mentioned that around 100K miles they all need replacing. My new, wonderful (hopefully) mechanic (former fleet manager for UPS) says that the Universal joint goes because people don't come to a complete stop between forward and reverse and vice versa. He said he can tell I've driven my truck carefully. I did admit that sometimes I go barrelling through fields off road.

Anyway... He was looking at I think my suspension and some kind of bushing on the back end.... He said it looks like it's way overweighted and asked me to go down the road to the salvage lot and have it weighed...

I told him that I couldn't imagine there's a problem, but he said there should be some space at that bushing, but that you can see where the truck is right on top of it. I may not be explaining this right.

I weighed the truck -- it had stuff in it for the retreat (we were on our way to Wisconsin) and the trailer was attached. I didn't want to take the time to unhook the trailer, etc. because we were in a rush. but the truck alone (with trailer attached but off the scale) was around 11,300. The trailer (loaded with 4-wheeler, decoys, bumpers, etc.) was around 2,500. My GVW is 11,500.... And then we add a couple more people, six dogs and luggage....

My mechanic said that if it was near or over GVW there wasn't much we could do about it except replacing brakes more often.

I'm trying to figure out why we would have a box mounted that puts the truck so close to GVW when it doesn't even have much in it???

I'm sure other boxes weigh the same? Mine is stainless. I told him this is a standard configuration -- 16 hole box on an F350 superduty.

Just curious... This is the first mechanic to pick up on this and I was kind of disturbed by it, as I work very hard to keep the truck in prime, safe condition for me, the dogs, my clients.

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is leaf springs. My box is getting close to sitting on the helper springs, and Kennel Boy is making plans to have that fixed.

If you have a 1 ton truck you can register it two different ways - 10K or above 10K. Above 10K gives you a whole bunch of DOT/etc issues, but if you weigh more than the 10K and they catch you, you're going to pay a fine.

13K+ regards with a 12 hole box regards,

Sondra

What you get out of it is what you put into it, then a fat lady sings.
Marc Broussard

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is leaf springs. My box is getting close to sitting on the helper springs, and Kennel Boy is making plans to have that fixed.

If you have a 1 ton truck you can register it two different ways - 10K or above 10K. Above 10K gives you a whole bunch of DOT/etc issues, but if you weigh more than the 10K and they catch you, you're going to pay a fine.

13K+ regards with a 12 hole box regards,

Sondra

I asked about springs and he said that it would still be taxing on the truck in general.... esp brakes -- which DO seem to be the one thing (pads) that I replace more than average.

As far as the "registering" and 10K thing is that by the state??? I've never heard of it before?

Kristie, as a dealer for Deerskin I have tried many times to talk to folks about their truck and what they are planning to put on it. Most people are so excited about a new box that the advise goes in one ear and out the other. All truck makers offer a GVW rating on their products, this is after box, water, dogs, feed, people, ect. Trucks will carry more than they recommend but because of liability issues, well you know what I mean. A 1 ton truck with dual rear wheels will carry a 12 to 18 hole chassis mount fine but attention needs to be paid to springs bottoming out in your day to day training. If this is happening look into adding a leaf. If you are taking your time getting in and out of training areas then normal maintenance will probably be all that is required. It's hard to convience people who own a 1/2 or 3/4 ton truck that the 12 to 18 hole chassis mount is more box than the truck can stand up to. It will work fine for a while but over time problems will pop up.
________EXTREME VAPORIZER REVIEW

I weighed my truck, fully loaded, down to a full 60 gallon water tank, and had ordered the truck with extra helper springs, etc. (camper package?) before getting the box.

After 118K miles and a weight of 13K pounds, I have JUST replaced my brake pads for the first time. They were checked every 5K miles, and never needed to be replaced. I am on my third set of tires, but have had no other issues with the weight. Kennel Boy (who knows these things) stays on top of it, and the shop we use is great.

After 5 years, I am going to have to add another spring (or replace one, or whatever they do). Starting to sag with age regards,

Sondra

PS - Go Deerskin!!!

What you get out of it is what you put into it, then a fat lady sings.
Marc Broussard

I think this why so many of the new pro trucks with 16 + holes I have seen them buying the Ford F 450. The F 350 or GM’s 3500 are still a light duty truck, so the time you add the box, dogs, equipment and people the truck is being pushed to the limits on the suspension and brakes. The F 450 or GM’s 4500 series are more on the medium duty truck side which will handle your loads much easier on the suspension and brakes and give you a better ride overall. I have noticed the boxes on the F 450 have bigger holes and closets since the frame is bigger.

Supersprings

I just installed a set of Supersprings on my dog truck because of a little sag and a floating ride at higher speeds. I like the outcome. They fixed the sag and self adjust under the weight of an additional dog trailer. The floating feeling is gone replaced by a firmer smoother ride. The best $400 i have spent in a long time.

It is mounted on a 2004 F350 (one ton). I added leaf springs and even with them, I still need 40-50 pounds in my air shocks for the truck to ride properly with six dogs and water tank full.

If I had to do it over, I would get a F450 - because of brakes, shocks, etc.

But, I plan on driving my truck to 250-300k, so it will be a while. I spoke to my mechanic today (had some routine injector service at 130k) and he told me that the new diesels have significantly less fuel mileage because of EPA concerns.